Welcome to a Book of Many References

 No, I'm not talking about Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentleman (the graphic novels not the movie).

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I was reading a book called Persephone's Station by Stina Leicht. I recently finished it with a 5 star (it was actually 4.5 stars, but I rounded up since you can't leave a 0.5 on GoodReads) rating. 

I wont this book from a GoodReads giveaway and was very excited to check out the slightly over 500 page novel that is described as a mash up of Casablanca meetings The Magnificent Seven - though I would say that that reviewer missed the more obvious Seven Samurai comparison. 

It also takes place in space.

The first thing I want to note about this novel is that it is very female and very queer. All of the main characters are either women or non-binary. There are several prominent lesbian or bisexual characters and the main character lives next to a gay couple. There is representation for everyone in this story.

And yes, the story is very racial diverse as well.

The main plot revolves around three point of view characters. 

The first is Rosie, a non-binary character who owns Monk's Bar and may or may not be the head of a mafia. There's a lot more to Rosie than first meets the eye. For starters, they've been helping to hide a highly advanced civilization on the colonized world they live on. They are basically the Rick character from Casablanca.

Next, is Angel. An ex-marine with a past. She can't return home, so she's found a place for herself working for Rosie. Her team is quickly framed for the assassination of a high ranking corporate vice president and need to take a dangerous job while laying low. Angel and her crew are the Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai piece of this story. She even has a ship called Kurosawa (the director of Seven Samurai). 

Finally, we have Kennedy Liu. She's a highly advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) that's been programed to have empathy and has a human body. This isn't a spoiler, we learn this right off the bat. She also has AI sisters who don't have a body, but she can "talk to" when connected to their world's version of the Internet. I found her to be the least interesting of the three main characters and wasn't sure of her point to the plot until the very end.

There's also a point of view chapter with a person named Paulie - one of the native sentient people known as the Emissaries hiding on the planet the majority of the story takes place on. She's more of a secondary character and is the opening point of view chapter.

Though not a point of view character, but still important is our antagonist/villain, Vissia. Vissia is behind the assassination Angel's team is blamed for, the person trying to wipe out the Emissaries, and the person behind the murder of Kennedy Liu's creator (I'm going to also not count this as a spoiler because its a given early in the story). She also has a connection to Rosie - who is actively working to stop Vissia's hostile take over.

All in all - Vissia is bad news.

The story kick's off when Angel's team is hired by Rosie to assassinate the head of another crime family. The back and forth here is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and Star Wars with the former being directly called out in text (and an appearance by someone called Mrs. Hudson). Angel's team pull off the assassination, but uh oh, someone else was also killed during the deed. Rosie takes the opportunity to hire Angel and team to protect the Emissaries before Vissia shows up with a squad of mercenaries to destroy one of their cities (Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven references away). Meanwhile, Rosie takes the opportunity to end Vissia's plans.

Oh, and Kennedy Liu is looking for another sentient AI system and gets mixed up in the excitement. 

It's not that complicated of a plot with each event flowing into the next in a way that makes sense in-universe. I found it a thrilling read - though slow early on. The world building is fantastic and I really want to read more stories from it. There's a lot of background stuff (and a few characters) I haven't touched on that I want to have information on. 

What got me to knock off that half a point though was the ending. It felt a little rushed and though it made sense in-universe, seemed anti-climatic - almost an afterthought compared to the middle part of the story. There seemed to be more focus on the references rather than neatly tying the plot together in a way that feels satisfying.

This is very much a space opera fantasy. I do recommend it and hope to read more from the author. It's got great representation and world building. There's a lot of fun references and Easter eggs if you're looking for them, but they can be distracting in the early part of the book. And the final third of the book isn't nearly as good as it's setup. 

If you pick up a copy, let me know what you think.  

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Welcome to Untranslatable

For Christmas, my friend gave me a book called Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders. Sanders compiled the untranslatable words, provided definitions, created explanations, and drew beautiful illustrations. I enjoyed going through this book very much.

Some of my favorite words included: 

• Hiraeth (Welsh) - a homesickness for somewhere you cannot return to, the nostalgia and the grief for the lost places of your past, places that never were. 
• Tíma (Icelandic) - not being ready to spend time or money on a specific thing, despite being able to afford it.
•  Nunchi (Korean) - the subtle, often unnoticed art of listening and gauging another's mind.
• Tsundoku (Japanese) - leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other unread books.
• Kalpa (Sanskrit) - the passing of time in a grand, cosmological scale.
• Komorebi (Japanese) - the sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees.
• Jayus (Indonesian) - refers to a joke so terrible and so unfunny that you can't help but laugh.
• Kabelsalat (German) - describes a mess of very tangled cables literally a "cable-salad".

These are just a few of the words that really stood out to me. If you're curious (and like fun illustrations), I recommend the book. 

I'm certain there are words in the English language that are unique and can't be easily translated. They're probably mostly slang and only make sense in a particular context. 

An example is the word "vex" which means to make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters. However, I've rarely heard "vex" used in day-to-day (American) English to the point where it might be considered archaic by this point. I like this word and would love to know if there's an equivalent outside of English.

Another example I've never heard an equivalent for, is the word "ferhoodle" which means to confuse or mix-up (wait that isn't an English word - it's Pennsylvania Dutch). 

Honestly, English loves snagging words from other languages, horribly mangling their pronunciation, and making them uniquely English.  An example would be the word "karaoke". Trust me, it's not pronounced the same way we do it in English.

This has also got me wondering, how often do we experience something and don't have words to describe it?

I've experienced it a few times. In my inability to put words to what I experience or feel has lead me to either make up my own words or turn to poetry. In some cases, creating a name for what is happening makes the feeling or experience easier to process. Even borrowing certain words to use in a different context can be helpful. 

One word that I sometimes use when I'm sick is "milky". If I say "I'm feeling milky", it means that there's a thick liquid like feeling in my stomach. I'm not feeling nausea or pain. I don't think I'm going to puke my guts out or start crying. I feel like thick, possibly spoiled milk is sitting in my stomach.

Having the ability to describe or put a name to a thing, experience, or feeling is important. It gives us the ability to process or understand what we are confronted with. Though we might not find a word in our native language, there might be one in another language that better fits your descriptions. Heck, even making up a word can be better than no word.

What about you guys? Are there any words you've found are uniquely English? I'm sure one of my linguist friends could happily give me a list. Are there any words you've come across in another language that you feel aren't well translated or completely untranslatable to your native language?

Leave a comment if you're so inclined. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to What Plans

Planning and being on top of a schedule has become a key part adulthood - for work and my personal life. If I want to see a friend or go out of town,  I need to plan for it and make sure that everyone's schedule is clear and that I can take time away from work. 

I sometimes have to plan brunch or a coffee trip months in advance to make sure I'll be able to see a specific person. It's not like high school or college when you could text someone "you free?" and then head over to Wawa. 

Having a plan is super important, but having flexibility is equally key to not going crazy. Especially when your plan is so far off the rails, it's not clear which direction you're headed in anymore. 

My motto since 2019 has been to "roll with it".

I have a preference to plan out my year well in advance. I like to know when I'm taking a trip or going on one of my mini-adventures not too far from home. I even like planning when I go on one of my cleaning sprees. I once planned an entire trip to Disney World with spreadsheets detailing where and when we had to be somewhere. I made sure to build in "spontaneous time" (though is it really spontaneous if you plan for it?).

However, even my best laid plans have blown up in my face.

No one expected the pandemic shutting everything down in March 2020. It seriously upended my life (along with most people's lives). 

At the start of the pandemic, I thought I had some security. But security is a luxury if I've ever known one.  

Despite my good fortune landing a full time job, I'm still a little on edge. I thought that my last job few jobs would be long term, but two layoffs have taught me that few things are truly long term. I've started wondering if I am just living for the next set back or (worse) disaster. 

That's not a healthy way to think. It's kept me anxious and on edge - unable to relax when I really need to.

We've started seeing some hope. With the introduction of the vaccine, things began to open back up and people felt safer. That was until Delta and then Omicron showed up to shut everything down again. Though it feels never ending, the patterns we're seeing with COVID are similar to what happened with the Spanish Flu. 

However, what might happen after COVID? Could there be another pandemic? What about what's going on with the economy? There's already reports that a recession is likely to show up within the next four years. How will that affect my life?

I can't answer these questions. I can't plan around them.

I can only hope that I'm prepared to "roll with it" again.

I know this post isn't the happiest or most optimistic, but sometimes writing out the things that bother us helps us work through them. I wish I had a crystal ball that would let me know everything would work itself out, but I don't. 

I just have to take things one day at a time.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope my readers like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Books of 2021

 I had a conversation last night with a friend of mine. She asked me what my favorite books were. That's a tough answer as it varies from moment to moment and genre to genre. We ended up talking a lot about books in the fantasy and science fiction genres with a heavy lean towards queer and LGBTQ+ narratives - likely helped by the fact that I'm currently reading Stina Leicht's science fiction and very queer Persephone Station.

The cover art is amazing for this book!

Growing up my book list tended to be comprised of cozy mysteries and most things written by Agatha Christie. There were a few fantasy books here and there (naturally I was big into Harry Potter - though I am currently greatly displeased with the author). My family also seemed to favor mysteries and I ended up with a whole collection of Nancy Drew books and the "Cat Who" series. 

With few exceptions, it wasn't until high school and college that I began to branch out and read other genres. While in Japan at 11, I read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series since they were a few of the only English books in my aunt and uncle's home. In high school, I received my first science fiction books with Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series (I did not read Extras) and branched out to the fantasy series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (the first few books are great - I don't know what happened in books five and six, but I was too invested by that point not to finish them) by Michael Scott. I even picked up the mid-grade Disney series The Kingdome Keepers by Ridley Pearson.

The only genre I can't seem to get into is Romance. 

I'm fairly certain it's because Romance as a genre relies on trope (all genres have them stop groaning) that I don't enjoy. Lack of communication skills, sappy situations, and important information from people isn't how I like my drama to unroll. 

That's not to say I don't like romance or pairings in my stories. When done well, I love a nice sweet romance. I just want other outside factors to play a roll - like a dragon, scary ghost, or social issues that need to be confronted (*cough* LGBTQ+ *cough*). 

This is just a sampling of the books I like to read and doesn't include my (extensive) manga, graphic novel, or poetry collection. I've collected Astrix comics since I was a little kid and my collection continues to grow.  Yu Yu Hakusho and Fruits Basket (see I do read some Romance) were my jam in high school. In college is was Black Cat and Ronin Kenshin. Now, I've included the works of Junji Ito to my shelf, right next My Brother's Husband and Another. 

My poetry collection is a monster unto itself and I find that I like modern and traditionally studied poets.

The books I read in 2021 reflected my eclectic taste in literature. Some how, in the stressful 12 months that are currently a blur in my mind, I found the time to read 34 books - surpassing my goal of 32. This is 3 more books than 2020.

The books I read consisted of several Goodreads giveaways (mostly non-fiction, but there was a very long horror novel in there somewhere), a poetry collection that featured one of my poems (it needed editing), several graphic novels I found at used books stores, a lot of poetry, a novella that I beta-read for a friend (and I plan on rereading this year), a short novel about ghosts at one of my favorite railroad museums, a couple of classics, and one book about birds with lots of swear words (this one was a lot of fun to read before going hiking in the Shenandoah).

Some standouts from last year include: 

• Harpyness is Only Skin Deep, Hazelhearth Hires Heroes, and Love, Death, or Mermaid all by my friend D. H. Willison. His books and series, Tales of Arvia, are a lot of fun. They're episodic D'n'D style adventures that are engaging and funny. And guess what! He now has a merch store. Go check it out.
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - probably my favorite read of 2021 this book is queer, Hispanic, and takes place around El Día De Los Muertos. It has ghosts, murder, mystery, fantasy, and (gasp) a great teenage romance. I highly recommend it.
• Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall - a YA novel that takes place on Jamaica and deals with the struggles of poverty, racism, and gangs. 
• Living in Data: A Citizen's Guide to a Better Information Future by Jer Thorp - a mixed back of Thorp's incredible career, how to visualize data, and understanding how data shapes our world. I really liked it.
• Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans which was robbed of it's Goodreads award for best poetry of 2021.
• I am The Rage: A Black Poetry Collection by Martina McGowan.
• Doggolescence: Poems by Kyra The Staffy by Kyra The Staffy and her mama Rachel Oates - I bought this one because I like the YouTuber Rachel Oats and she ran into some trouble when another YouTuber couldn't handle the (very valid) criticism Rachel gave them. I wasn't expecting much, but found that I really liked reading poetry from a dog's point of view. 
• Some Things I Still Can't Tell You: Poems by Misha Collins - actor Misha Collins released a poetry collect? Why yes, I will be adding it to my collection. Fans of the actor will enjoy his poetry - that I can guarantee.

The above list is only a sample of the books I read. 

One of my goals for 2022 is to read 35 books (one more than 2021). I've already mentioned that I'm knee deep in Persephone Station, but I've also started Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps by Hank Quense who is a member of my writer's group in New Jersey. I received a copy in exchange for a review (which I'm happy to provide). 

I have a huge stack of books that need to be read next to my bed - not including all of the books recommended to me by my friend last night. Some are carry over books from last year I haven't gotten to. Some are books that have been in my "to read" pile for multiple years. 

Maybe this year, I can make a decent dent in the stake (before obtaining more books) and surpass my 35 book goal.

Happy 2022 everyone! May you find peace and joy in the new year.

Welcome to the Last Post in 2021

 I know a lot of people are thinking it, but when did 2020 become 2021...and how did 2021 pass by so quickly?

This will be my last post in 2021. I spent part of the year without a job, started traveling again, and have continued to worry about COVID (despite the vaccine).

This holiday season is a little different than last year. Though COVID is always at the back of my mind, being vaccinated has given me a little freedom. 

Last weekend I went to a local production of the Nutcracker with a friend. Most of the audience was made of the dancers' family and friends. I (being determined to see any production of the ballet live) really enjoyed myself. Some of the dancers were absolutely tiny and positively adorable. All of the dancers were fantastic. 

I am happy to encourage anyone who has a local theater group or community center to check out any productions they may be putting on. Not only are they fun, but they support your area's artists, dancers, actors, and talent. I'm actually kind of sad I missed a local production of the Dracula ballet (there are actually several versions of the Dracula ballet which can be found on YouTube). 

This weekend, I had a couple of friends over for my first holiday bunch! 

It was so much fun and I may have gone a little overboard while cooking (there are tons of leftovers). The Wassail I made was a particularly big hit, as was the pumpkin cake and mocktail I came up with on the spot (a scoop of cranberry relish, some pomegranates, and pomegranate bubbly water in Champaign glasses - the full thing will be in my food blog). Christmas music played in the background (okay it was the Nutcracker) and I had a roaring fire in the fireplace. Lights are strung up all over and my tiny tree is fully trimmed. 

Yesterday, I spent the whole day cooking and cleaning my apartment. I found the cleaning therapeutic and helped me feel like I was sweeping out the old year. I even took time to wrap up all the presents. It's hard to believe Christmas is in less than a week and New Years is in less than two. 

Over the next couple weeks, things will be quiet. The only major event I'll be attending is a driver through light display. I went last year with my dad and it was the only request he had this year to do during the season. Maybe I'll also take a day trip into DC to see the train display at the outdoor botanical gardens and the Congressional ("People's") tree.

2021 was a long year that somehow felt very short. It was eventful and at the same time very boring. My hope is for some peace and stability. Though I hope to travel again soon, I'd much rather know that people are safe and my cat can curl up on my head whenever she feels like it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. May you all have a nice rest, a little peace, and lots of fun memories. 

Good bye 2021.

Welcome 2022. 

If you enjoyed this post (or if really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Pit Falls of Data

 I recently finished a book about data - the collection, visualization, and future of its uses. Data is everywhere and used for a lot of things. I've worked with data in some form or another throughout my entire career (so far). 

This book is called "Living in Data" by Jer Thorp. In the book, Thorp details his many adventures around the world collecting data (including several trips to Africa and National Parks in America), working on new ways to visualize data (including a theater company in London who put on a performance using rice to explain populations around the world), and how who controls data also controls a lot of power. 

That last part isn't meant to scare you guys so much as emphasize the importance and dangers of data collection.

Thorp has had an amazing career collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data. Part of me wishes I could go on the same adventures to collect data (though I don't know how I would have handled seeing hippopotamuses in real life - they are scary). Thorp famously helped create the design for the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City. He designed a formula to make sure that the names of people who lost their lives were near their friends and/or family. 

However, much of this book focuses on the future of data and the people who are collecting it.

Most of us are already familiar with how social media sites have been tracking us for years, collecting so much data on use that they've managed to personalize our ads. Every few years there's a story that floats around the Internet about a man receiving coupons from a big box store for baby clothes and diapers. The man goes to the store in a huff - demanding to know why his family is getting this targeted ad campaign when they don't have little kids (they have teenagers). The store apologized for the mix up and says it won't happen again. Then, a few days later the man returns to the store to apologize for getting angry. Apparently his teenage daughter is expecting a baby. The store used the data they had collected on the family to anticipate the family's future buying needs and exposed the fact that a teenager was pregnant. 

Creeped out?

Though most targeted ad campaigns are quite that good, it's no secret that companies are collecting a lot of data on people...and making a lot of money while doing it. 

Whoever said data is the new crude oil wasn't kidding. 

And while there's lot of data being collected, there's some that purposefully not being collected. Knowledge is power and when that knowledge is squashed or withheld, it can lead to a suppression of power. Thorp goes in to a great deal of detail about how certain data sets have been prevented from being collected because the people in power don't want the knowledge to get out. Additionally, not having access to data that is being collected is another hurdle. Just because data exists doesn't mean that the average person can access it, analyze it, or publish it. Data sets can cost money (see previous statement about getting rich off data), be difficult to understand if the methodology isn't obvious, and possibly manipulated to the point where it becomes meaningless. 

However, even with access to data, there are dangers of releasing it. Many countries in Africa won't allow the release of migration data on elephants. Why? Because poachers might use it to track down and kill the elephants being tracked.

Data is dangerous when it's known and when it's unknown. 

So how do we balance this dichotomy?

Thorp doesn't offer any solutions...and to be honest, neither can I. I have always preferred having access to more data than less, but I also understand how data can be overwhelming (especially to non-math people) and nonsensical if it doesn't tell a good story.  

Data has become a tool for wealth can power. What can we do about it? Who gets to decide how it's accessed? How should it be analyzed?

I don't know and neither does Thorp. 

However, I do think pressure is mounting on governments to do something - such as regulating the collection (it's already in place for children - kind of) and mitigating targeted advertising. Our lives are so intertwined with the companies that collect our data that it's difficult to separate ourselves without leaving society at large. 

Like many of our modern problems, the solutions won't be easy and we'll be up against people who don't want to see change. 

But that's why we need to keep learning about what is going on and how the world is interconnected. 

I hope I didn't scare you with this post. My goal is to inform and give a book recommendation. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to December 2021

All I did was blink and suddenly it’s the end of 2021. 

As we are in the middle of the holiday season, I hope all of my readers (yes that includes you) are doing well. It’s the second year we face spending the season with the shadow of the pandemic hovering over us. 

Very random snowmen decorations along a wooded path near my home.

2021 has been a hard year…and it seems to keep getting harder. 

My greatest wish this holiday season is for a period of stability and peace in my life - something I haven’t really had since the end of 2018. Things have been rough. I thought 2020 would be the worst, but I took a (figurative) beating in 2021. I don’t even want to speculate about 2022.

My hope is that the season brings a little more kindness, especially to those in need. That we are all able to celebrate the good things and don’t dwell on the negative. May joy and love be spread.

Some of us get “blue” at this time of year. I tend to be one of those people. It could be because it’s dark outside and I get less vitamin D, it could be the forced upon cheer from every angle, or it could be perhaps that my shoes are too tight.

Don’t worry, I’m not planning on stealing Christmas or Hanukkah. 

Times have been hard and it’s not clear when they’ll get easier (or if they’ll ever get easier). What I can do for me is to be kinder to myself. The same can go for you. If you haven’t put up any decorations yet, that’s okay. I didn’t get my tree up until today (and some of my decorations have already fallen from where I hung them up yesterday).

If you can get out of your house or apartment, do so. I’m still going on daily walks and making plans for outings that will cheer me up. I’ve found a community performance of the Nutcracker to go to with a friend and a holiday lights show to drive through. These things are small, but they give me something to look forward to.

2021 has felt like an extension to 2020. So much has happened and the pandemic feels never ending. Money is tight, the job market weird (yes that’s the word I’m choosing), and politics (at least in the US) are driving me insane.

Maybe a little holiday season is what we all need.

Remember to check in with yourself. Sometimes small things are just as grand as big ones. Give yourself things to look forward to. And be kind.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.